Google-fu Matters

Meeting people is easy.  Meeting people who want to ask me out on a date is slightly more difficult.  So, of course, I've tried the gamut of things...  online dating, fix-ups, a matchmaker (yes, really), and speed-dating.  

Of all the things, speed-dating (image borrowed from Psychology Today) is the avenue that makes the most sense to me.  I can talk to any stranger, I smile a lot, and with a little alcohol I'm even funny and charming.  I even come up with wonderful questions that aren't 1) what kind of car do you drive; 2) how much do you make; and 3) what do you do for a living.  I want to know what book you keep on your nightstand... and maybe what you did last Saturday... if you have a nickname... anything.  And if the you are half interesting, we wind up in a great conversation for 8 whole minutes.  I've managed a date or two each time I've done this - a much better investment of my time and money than online, I'd say.

So I'm kind of excited when I show up to speed dating for Jews one Tuesday night.  But there's no registration desk, no sign, no one to check-in with.  I find the most decent looking guy at the bar, sit down next to him, order a glass of wine... and he turns to me and says "Are you here for speed-Jew?"  I tell him that I am.  And, with a bit of a smirk, he replies "It's canceled."  I thought he was joking at first -- but no, he wasn't.  The organizers had double-booked the space and were scrambling.  My bar-mate, another nice woman and I end up talking, and decide to take off for some nibbles and better wine.

But on the way out, a man stops me and says "But I haven't met you yet."  So I tell him "You have now!"  We talk for a moment or two, during which I find out a few things about him... and, since I'm keeping this all anonymous and stuff, I'll just say that much of what he said implied that he was well-educated, reasonably well-off and interesting.  But a thing or two didn't add up (why is a guy with his professional stature living in a small apartment in that area of town?).  Whatever, I thought, I just gave him my business card and went off with the other two great folks.

The next day, I get an email from him - and the name displayed on the email doesn't match what he gave me the night before, or how he signs the email.  Another thing that doesn't add up.

It's time to pull out my best weapon in meeting lots of strange men: online searching.  I'm good at it.  Some people use kung-fu for self defense, I use google-fu.  So I do a little digging based on his email address.  It took about 30 seconds to find out the guy had been arrested in well-known sting operation that targets would-be pedophiles. 

Yes, you heard that right.  I saw a video of the arrest.  I was shaking.  And then I was grateful that I figured out BEFORE.

I hope that my future dates will forgive me if I do a little google-fu.  I have a good reason.